em + the kitchen - magic cake.

Yesterday was my last shift on the 7th floor at Zale. I'll be starting a new job in the SICU, just 4 floors down, on Monday. I'm super excited and super nervous and super a-bunch-of-other-feelings that I can't quite articulate. It's going to be a great move for my career, but I also fell totally in love with the people I worked with. I couldn't have asked for a better almost 2 years as a nurse and I learned an incredible amount.

Now, though, I have a whole new floor to impress with my baking. ;)
For my last shift, I brought a Magic Cake, which seems to be gaining popularity on Pinterest.
I can see why! Fairly simple to make, with a rich, custard-y flavor, this was a big hit on my floor. A good dish to go out on.
It's called "magic" cake, because the batter turns into 3 separate layers on it's own as it's baking. It's pretty cool (and gives the illusion that you worked harder on this cake than you actually did!). I must warn you, though. This did not create the most appetizing photos. Just trust me that it truly is delicious. Mmk?

Magic Cake
(makes 12 or 16 pieces, depending on how you cut it)

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup flour
2 cups lukewarm milk

Preheat your oven to 325* and grease an 8x8 baking dish.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites and beat the whites in a mixer until light and fluffy. Set to the side.
Beat the eggs yolks and sugar until creamy. Add the vanilla and melted butter and beat until well mixed. Now add the flour and mix until fully incorporated.
Slowly start pouring the milk in and beat until everything is well mixed together. The batter at this point is going to be super runny and you're going to be wondering what you did wrong. The answer is nothing, I promise. That's how it's supposed to look.
Fold in the egg whites, 1/3rd at a time. It may be a bit chunky looking, but that's okay.
Pour into the baking dish and bake anywhere from 40-70 minutes. The top should be golden brown and the center jiggly but not liquid. Mine took about 50 minutes.

The result was described on my floor as "a really rich bread pudding". I cut mine into 16 pieces for that very reason - it was super rich and creamy and I didn't want huge pieces.
Considering how many times I thought I had this recipe completely wrong, this really is a magic cake! It came out beautifully.

I'm going apple picking this weekend for the first time and am so excited! Be prepared for the barrage of baked apple recipes (and photos) that are sure to follow.
What's your favorite apple recipe? I'm looking forward to making my first from-scratch apple pie!
-e.